The Post has learned a championship-caliber collaborator should soon be coming to Kobe’s – the city’s and the team’s – emotional rescue. How poetically peculiar that the player’s last name is O’Neal, as in Jermaine, not Shaquille!

Within the last week, the Pacers and Lakers have laid the groundwork for a trade that would certainly placate both sorrowful All-Stars. L.A. inquired about O’Neal – another fake franchise player pocketing maximum money on the prowl for someone to save him from losing. And was told he was available. Indiana let it be known the Lakers have ample assets (players and/or picks) to make a fair deal.

No specifics were delivered. No negotiating has been done. Still, Lamar Odom would have to be the principal of the package in order to adhere to NBA trade specifications. He’s currently on the Laker salary cap for $12,348,596 and has two seasons remaining at 900G per raises.

O’Neal earns Kobe-like numbers: $18,084M this season, and has three remaining at $19.728M, $21.372 and 23,016M. Kobe has an out after two more seasons.

Surely Andrew Bynum ($2.030M/$2.172M/$2.769M) must be included as well. I can’t see the Pacers parting with a 7-footer without getting one back.

Much as I hate to challenge the veracity of Vescey’s report, I think we need to take a cold, hard look at the facts. In past 48 hours, Kobe has called in to no fewer than 7 chat radio shows, both of the local and national variety. Clearly, he’s frustrated and angry…at being the only person in North America WFAN hasn’t invited to host their early morning show for a few days.

6 Responses to “Vescey : Jermaine O’Neal To LA”

O’Neal doesn’t seem like much (if any) of an upgrade over Odom. Garnett seems like the only available guy out there that could immediately make them part of the Western elite, and the Lakers just don’t have enough to offer in order to get him. Sorry Kobester.

I don’t think so. there have been other guys in the recent past making max jack or close to it that lobbied for a change of scenery. I mean, I wouldn’t call A.I. a fake franchise player, either, but Kobe’s got the rings.

I would make the trade if I were the Pacer front office; that is, JO to LAL for Bynum, Odom, and draft pick. I can remember when Buss and Nassi had 51% ownership of the Pacers and the resulting fleecing of the Pacers top draft picks to build-up the LAL they owned! If Kobe wants the LAL to make a block-buster trade, he first should name the running mate to avoid problems similar to the Shaq ordeal. If Shaw lands a head coaching job the LAL will also have to find a new peacemaker, in event the egos get in the way.